This Is Us
by Leijona
Summary: A collection of prompts filled for Nathan and Peyton. Some AU, some canon, but always with Nathan and Peyton as main characters.
1. 24 47

#24 Literally bumping into each other au / #47 Meeting at a festival au

Who: Peyton Sawyer, Brooke Davis, Haley James, Quinn James, Nathan Scott, Lucas Scott, Clay Evans  
Where: Music festival (think Coachella)  
What: Right before the final show on the second day of the festival is about to start, Nathan bumps into Peyton, who falls and hurts her hand. He insists to take her to one of the First Aid tents that are scattered across the terrain to get her hand checked out and sits with her while they both miss the show, which they didn't really want to go to any way. AU in that the boys and the girls don't know each other.

* * *

 _ **AN:** So there's this list on Tumblr with 50 great prompts and if I knew how to put a hyperlink in here I would, but I don't, so you're going to have to take my word for it :) I already filled one prompt when I wrote "Your Art Matters" but there were a lot of other prompts on the list that I think would work great for Nathan  & Peyton and so here is another prompt filled (well, two prompts actually). I hope to fill more prompts in the future, and rather than posting a new story each time, I figured I might as well bundle them all into one story. Maybe I'll add "Your Art Matters" to this at some point too... Anyway, I hope you like this little drabble, and as always, reviews are appreciated :)_

* * *

"Dude, shut up," his friend gives him a friendly push that surprises him and makes him take a couple of steps backwards. Before he can stop himself he bumps into the girl who is standing in line behind him.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." He turns around and holds out his hand for her to take when he sees her left hand is bleeding, "Are you okay?"

She grabs his outstretched hand with her right and lets him hoist her to her feet. She tries to smile, "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just a small cut."

"P., that looks nasty," a brunette chimes in from behind her, eyes full of concern, "You should get that checked out."

"It's just a cut," she says, hoping her best friend will let it go, "Don't worry about." She cradles her left hand close to her chest though, because it really does hurt.

The brunette huffs and stands in front of her, hands planted firmly on her hips, "I'm serious, Peyton, god know what kind of diseases are spread out on the ground here."

"Ew,'" one of the other girls in their group shudders, "that's gross, Brooke."

"She's right, you know." He agrees with the brunette, who he now knows is called Brooke and who is obviously the girl's best friend, "You should get that checked out."

"Agreed." Brooke nods fiercely and throws him a look that tells him she's happy he's siding with her.

"Yeah," the other girls agree, even though they seem less interested.

"Fine," she agrees, shaking her head ever so slightly. She knows Brooke will never let it go otherwise.

"I'll come with you," he offers, feeling guilty about bumping into her and indirectly being responsible for her injury. He takes a step towards her, ready to walk with her to the first aid tent.

"You really don't have to," she tries, but he interrupts her before she can continue.

"I'm the reason you have that cut in the first place, so I'm coming." He leans in and whispers, "And I really don't want to go that show, so work with me, ok?"

She smiles at him and nods, "Ok."

"We'll wait here for you guys, ok?" his brother, Lucas, offers and he can see his friend Clay nod in agreement.

"I just want to let you know that normally I wouldn't let my best friend wander off with tall, handsome strangers," Brooke states simply, pointing her finger at him, "but you seem like good people."

"He is good people," Lucas offers, and then with a smile, "If you want _we_ ," he nods to guy standing next to him, "can hang out with you three during the show and meet up with them here afterwards."

She can tell her best friend is hesitating by the Brooke's eyebrows are knitted together, "I'll be fine, Brooke. Go," she nods towards the entrance of the fenced-off stage area, "Enjoy the show, I'll meet you here afterwards."

"Ok babe," Brooke gives in, but not without giving her best friend a hug, "be careful."

"You too," she says as she lets go. She watches as her friends join up with his and introduce themselves to another before handing their tickets to the security guard at the gate.

She waits until they are inside before she turns to him and explains; "she's basically family, but sometimes she cares too much."

"And that's a good or a bad thing?" he asks with a smile while he places his hand on her lower back to guide her to the left side of the field, where he knows the first aid tents are.

She shrugs, "Mostly a good thing, I guess." It's like she can feel his hand burning her skin through her t-shirt and there are goosebumps on her arms that she hopes he doesn't see. But she also hopes his hand will linger there a little longer.

He laughs and admits his brother is the same way.

* * *

"What can I do for you, darling?" the nurse, an elderly lady with a kind round face, who's nametag reads Edith, asks when they enter the tent.

She holds up her hand, "I fell and cut my hand on something sharp and-"

"You want to have it checked out?" the nurse ads with a comforting smile.

"Yeah," she nods.

"Ok, why don't you sit right here," Edith pulls out a chair from underneath the table that is situated in the middle of the tent before she hands her a piece of paper, "I just need you to fill out this form for me, dear, so we have your details and then I'll patch you right up. I'm just going to get my kit and I'll be right back, ok?"

"You're going to have to write for me," she says as she pushes the form towards him and holds up her injured hand, "since you did this to me and all."

He grins and takes the pen the nurse offers him, "It's the least I can do." He starts reading the questions off the form, starting with her full name and she offers it to him without hesitation. He looks up at her with a smile once he has written it down, "Nice to meet you, Peyton Sawyer, I'm Nathan Scott."

Her lips curl into a smile, "Nice to meet you too."

Together they fill out the rest of the form and before they know it Edith is back at the table with a serious looking first aid kit and another friendly smile, "Put your hand on the table for me, dear."

"You ok?" he asks with concern when he sees her complexion turn a little paler.

She nods fiercely, trying to act braver than she feels, "Yeah,"

"Ok, this might hurt a little," Edith warns as she washes out Peyton's wound.

She flinches when a sharp pain shoots through her hand when Edith examines the cut more closely and instinctively her other hand reaches for his. She is sure she squeezes way too hard but he takes it like a gentleman and never stops smiling that reassuring smile.

"The cut isn't that deep that you need stitches, dear," Edith informs her, "So we'll just clean it a bit more, glue it back together and put a bandage on it, ok?"

He lets out a sigh of relief and gives her a wink. Her grip on his hand loosens a bit, but he is glad she doesn't let go completely.

"Just sit still for a minute," Edith orders firmly.

She looks the other way and flinches again when she feels pressure being put on the wound but can't help but smile when he pulls a weird face to distract her from what is going on.

Edith tries to distract her as well, "So how long have you guys been together?"

"Oh, no, no," Peyton shakes her head, "We're not together."

"We met here, actually," Nathan explains. "I bumped into her and she fell and cut her hand."

Edith nods like she doesn't quite believe their story while she finishes bandages Peyton's hand, "There you go, as good as new."

"Thank you," Peyton lets go of his hand and carefully rubs her bandaged hand.

"Now, I need you to keep that bandage on and clean until at least tomorrow morning, ok?" Edith urges, "Then take it off, clean the wound a bit by holding it under running water and either put a new bandage on or just a band aid. Then on Monday do the same, but try to keep the band aid off and see how it goes."

"Ok," Peyton nods and stands up, "Thank you again."

"Alright, off you go," Edith says as she motions them out of the tent, "Enjoy the rest of your evening you two."

"Thank you," Peyton says again. She isn't surprised when she feels Nathan's hand on her lower back again, steering her to the right.

"You know, technically speaking we could still make it to the show," he says with a mischievous look.

"Yeah, let's not, though," Peyton replies, shaking her head, "I'm sure the show's almost over anyway."

"You want to go grab something to drink?" he suggests when they walk past one of the many food trucks on the festival grounds. As if on cue his stomach growls and he grins, "Or a bite to eat?"

"Yes!" Peyton agrees wholeheartedly, "Both please."

"You want to grab some nachos?" he suggests, "Those are easy to eat with one hand."

She appreciates his concern and nods, "Sounds good."

"Alright," he looks around and spots a picnic table near where they are supposed to meet up with their friends, "If you go and sit there," he nods towards the left, "then I'll go get us some food and drinks. A coke ok for you?"

Peyton nods again and heads to the table where she sits down and waits for him to return. She smiles when she sees him walk towards her only minutes later, carefully balancing two plates of nachos and two bottles of cokes in his hands.

"Here you go," he puts everything down on the table and sits down next to her. "Isn't this just the perfect spot?"

"So perfect," Peyton agrees with a roll of her eyes, "This way we'll still be able to hear the wonderful sound that is Calvin Harris."

"Not a fan of dance music then?" he asks, picking up the hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Peyton shakes her head, "No, but Brooke likes him, so I tag along."

"And who are the other girls?" he asks and pops a nacho in his mouth.

"The brunette is Haley, she's a good friend of Brooke," Peyton explains, "And the blonde is Quinn, Haley's sister."

"So she's not your friend?"

"What?" She stops picking at her nachos and looks at him, confused.

"Well, you said, Haley is a good friend of Brooke," Nathan clarifies, "Not that she's a good friend of both of you."

"Very sharp," Peyton acknowledges. "Haley and Brooke became fast friends in high school and I just always sort of tagged along. I'm a bit of a loner, I guess."

"And not a Calvin Harris fan," he adds with a grin and another bite of nachos.

"And not a Calvin Harris fan, right." Peyton takes a sip of her drink and then points her bottle at him, "Neither are you, if I recall your earlier comment."

"Yeah, I never really got into dance music like Lucas did."

"So what do you like?"

"Old school hip hop."

Peyton stares at him in amazement.

"Who would have thought, right?" he grins, a weird but good feeling creeping up on him, because he's kind of happy that he's been able to surprise her. "But yeah, I love it. Dr Dre, Wu Tang Clan, Run DMC, Beastie Boys-"

"Wow, I'm impressed," and she means it. He doesn't look like someone who's into old school hip hop and it just earned him some serious credit.

"Thank you," he says with a little bow of his head. "What about you?"

She shrugs, "I'm more into rock and indie music. I love to go to small bars and underground clubs and discover new music. " She explains when she sees the confused look on his face, "I have my own record label. So it's part pleasure, part job."

"Nice,"

"Yeah, it really is," she admit, because it's true. She loves her work and wouldn't give it up for anything, "What do you do?"

He tells her he's a sport agent and before he knows it he has told her everything; how he played basketball in high school, how he wanted to play professionally but couldn't because of a back injury and how he ended up working for Clay. He's never opened up to anyone that easy before and it kind of scares him.

* * *

"P. Sawyer!"

Peyton looks up and can't help but smile when she sees a very excited Brooke coming her way.

Brooke jumps upon the picnic table and without asking takes Peyton's bottle for a drink. She is beaming and she's already halfway through describing the show to Peyton before the others join them, "It was amazing, Peyton," Brooke says excitedly, "best show I have seen this weekend." But then the look on her face changes to one of worry when she asks, "How's your hand?"

"Oh, it's fine," Peyton reassures her best friend, "I get to keep it a little longer."

"Keep what?" Haley pipes up from behind.

"My hand," Peyton says with a grin, like it's the best joke she's ever made. Her friends just look at her and shake their heads at her futile attempt, but Nathan lets out a roaring laugh and she is glad that he does. It earns him one of her rare full on smiles and there's a feeling in the pit of her stomach that some would describe as butterflies.

He's about to compliment her on her sense of humor when he hears Brooke say "Oh my god," and he sees a thunderstorm that's headed their way very fast. Before he knows it he sees her being pulled up from her seat by Brooke and he's being pushed in the other direction by his brother. They run towards one of the tents on the right side of the field, seeking shelter from the rain that is pouring down upon them.

She's laughing when they reach the safety of the tent because of how ridiculous they look; their hair is clinging to their faces and their clothes are soaking wet. She looks around, trying to find the boys, but can't see them and her stomach flutters a little and not in a good way this time, but because she actually wanted to spend more time with him and now she can't. She's lost him.

His brother asks him if he wants to go look for Peyton, but he suggests they go back to their hotel instead. He doesn't need to search for her, because he made sure to copy her details into his phone when he filled out the contact form earlier tonight. He already knows how to find her.


	2. 45

#45 Pretending to hate each other AU

Who: Nathan and Peyton  
Where: The Grand Pig restaurant  
What: Pretending to hate each other

* * *

 _ **AN:** Another prompt filled, this time during a particularly quiet Friday at work. Hope you like it (it's not very polished or profound but that's ok, I think) – reviews are appreciated :)_

 _This one's for Lexie-Rae._

* * *

Nathan resisted the urge to glance at his watch again, but even without looking he was certain that no more than five minutes had passed since the last time he checked. It felt like time had slowly come to a full stop and he wondered if soon the world would start spinning backwards because of how this evening seemed to be dragging on forever. Just his luck, because that would mean he would have to relive the first hour and a half of this awful date again. He suppressed a sigh and vowed silently he would never use Tinder to find a date ever again and not for the first time since he and his date sat down at their table in this ridiculously expensive restaurant did he debate whether or not he should just up and leave.

His eyes travelled across the room before they settled on the woman who sat opposite to him. She had been talking non-stop ever since she introduced herself as Lauren 'but you can call me Lo' when he picked her up and after excessively covering her high school years she had now moved on to her time spent at Florida State University from which she graduated two years ago. Two years. He sent another silent curse at this ridiculous app for setting him up with a girl who was at least five years younger than him and wondered why he ever thought this was a good idea. Was he drunk when he had liked her profile and sent her a message? Probably.

He nodded out of habit when she fell silent for a second and she took this as a cue to continue her rant about the awful frat boys who had terrorized campus during her senior year. He took another good look at her and while he was sure a lot of men would find her attractive; her straightened hair dyed an unnatural blonde, her makeup heavy with her eyes lined black and her lips painted a bright pink, and her dress clinging to her curvaceous body in all the right places, she did nothing for him.

Taking another sip of his beer his mind drifted again and he wondered if their main course would arrive anytime soon. He was still pretty hungry after he ate the two mini crab cakes they dared to call an entrée at this place.

"Nathan?"

Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he shook his head, trying to focus on her and saw that she had gotten up out of her chair. His heart leapt because for a moment he thought she had decided to call of the rest of their date but this dream was quickly shattered when she opened her mouth.

"I'm just going to the bathroom real quick, ok?"

He nodded and watched her as she walked across the room. Once again, he fought the urge to leave so instead he took out his phone and texted: ( _10-16, The Grand Pig)_

* * *

 _Received at (09:55:46PM) from (Nate) message (10-16, The Grand Pig)_

10-16, police code for 'pick up prisoner'.

Peyton smiled a wicked smile as she looked at her phone again before she dropped it in her purse. She pushed her boobs up a little higher, and hoped that the pads she stuffed in her bra would do their job of keeping them up there. Pulling her top down a little further she exposed more of the gold glittery bra underneath and checked her reflection in one of the car windows, almost not recognizing herself under hastily applied layers of deliberately smudged eye makeup and red lipstick. Her curls were wild and even more unruly than normal after she had ran her hands through them a couple of times while she held her head upside down.

She was standing in the parking lot of The Grand Pig and had easily found Nathan's battered pick-up truck amongst the convertibles, roadsters, and expensive sports cars when the cab she took dropped her off about a minute earlier. She was still amazed that it had only taken her twenty minutes to get dressed and get here after she had received his text. This had to be some sort of record that definitely needed to be celebrated once this was all over and done with. Not that she expected she would be here long because usually it was over in a couple of minutes, but god did she enjoy it.

Taking a deep breath she made her way across the parking lot to the entrance of the restaurant, quickening her pace as she set foot on the red carpet that led to the double glass doors. How tacky. She fished a piece of gum out of her purse and put it in her mouth, making sure she was smacking her lips together as she chewed. The doorman was obviously hesitant to let her in, but all his inhibitions disappeared when she slipped him a twenty and gave him a wink, "Thanks, babe."

He nodded and opened the door for her and she could feel his eyes follow her across the hall to the bar so she put a little extra sway in her step. She quickly scanned the room from where she stood and saw Nathan sitting somewhere to the left, his back to her, a ditzy blonde talking enthusiastically although it was obvious even from here Nathan wasn't interested in whatever it was she had to say.

When the barman approached her to ask her if she wanted a drink she ordered a whiskey on the rocks which she downed in one go before she pushed her shoulders back and walked towards the table.

Showtime.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Nathan tried to suppress a smile when he heard the familiar voice coming from behind him and instead feigned surprise and shock, a look that Lauren 'but you can call me Lo' mirrored from across the table, her eyes darting from him to Peyton and back, her mouth open in shock.

He looked up at the blonde standing next to him and swallowed hard when his eyes travelled from the fuck-me heels, to the fishnet tights, to the black leather skirt that was so short it barely covered her ass, and up to the black shirt that she had pulled down so low it showed the gold bra she wore underneath. He had to give her credit for committing to the part.

Her eye makeup was like a black frame that made her green eyes look as though they were lit up from within and it stirred up feelings in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. As far as he was concerned he'd take her to the hotel across the street from here right now and do things to her that he hadn't done since high school. Fuck Lauren. But he knew it would only get better from here and so when his eyes locked with hers he gave Peyton a wink that he was sure Lauren wouldn't see to let her know she should continue.

"Who is she," Peyton demanded, arms crossed in front of her chest, eyebrows raised.

"She's just-" Nathan started, but Peyton interrupted him by smacking him across the head.

"Shut up, asshole," Peyton turned her attention the stunned girl, "Did he tell you he's married, huh?"

Lauren slowly shook her head, too shocked to say anything and obviously intimidated.

"Yeah, well he is," Peyton said. She took a step closer to Lauren and dropped her voice, "Can you believe this asshole," she indicated at Nathan, "I'm out working the streets for a nickel and a dime and he's taking you to some fancy restaurant while some random neighborhood kid is watching our kids because he probably told them Daddy had to work overtime." She turned back to Nathan and pointed her finger at him, "How are you even going to pay for this meal, huh? You don't even have a job, you fuck."

"I, I-" Nathan stammered, not sure how to reply because this was a new twist on the story she usually spun and he was curious to see where she'd go with this.

"I was lucky my girl Tina gave me a heads up when she saw you rolling through her street with someone who wasn't me earlier tonight," Peyton threw him a fake smile, "I just told her this afternoon you'd be staying at home with the kids to watch the Knicks game, like you're trying out for the Dad-of-the-Year-award and then she sees you with another chick. Ugh," she sighed, "How do you think that makes me look, huh? Asshole. I should just divorce you right here and now."

Peyton turned back to the girl, acting like she was unfazed by the stares she was getting from almost everyone in the room, "You know what, darling, you can have him. Take my two kids too, see if I care."

"I don't want-" Lauren started, but Peyton interrupted her.

"I don't care, babe, do what you want with him, or to him. Whatever." Peyton threw Nathan a kiss; "You can come pick up your stuff tomorrow, along with the divorce papers." As she walked past him towards the door she flicked his ear for good measure, which was as much for show as it was to let him know she would wait for him at home.

He didn't watch her as she excited the dining room, but instead pressed his lips together trying not to smile. She'd really outdone herself tonight and he knew he owed her big time for this.

* * *

"Sawyer?" Nathan closed the front door behind him and followed the hall to the kitchen, where he could hear her humming along to a RUN D.M.C. song that he recognized as one of his favorites. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she put away the last of the dishes before she grabbed two tumblers from one of the cabinets and filled them both with their favorite whiskey.

"Hi roomie," Peyton said as she handed him a glass, "Glad to see you back in one piece."

"Yeah," Nathan chuckled, "Thank god Lauren was too stunned to physically hurt me," he held up his glass to her as a toast before he took a drink, "You were amazing tonight."

Peyton shrugged, "It was definitely fun."

"Hmm," Nathan agreed, "So much fun that they banned me from The Grand Pig for life."

Peyton let out a cackle, "Like you'd ever go there again."

"Probably not," Nathan admitted with a grin, "Way too fancy for a jobless fuck like me."

"Sorry about that," Peyton set her glass down and leaned against the counter, "I got a little carried away."

"I loved it," he grinned, "You were on fire tonight, Sawyer."

She did a little bow and held up her glass as she waited for him to join her in a toast. "To Lauren," she said solemnly, "and to your crazy hooker wife."

"Cheers,"

Nathan finished his drink in one gulp as he moved in front of her. Using his thumb he wiped away some of her left over eye makeup, before he let his eyes travel down her body, not missing the fact that she was only wearing one of his old basketball jerseys, "I'm a little upset you changed out of those clothes though."

Peyton smacked his chest, but grinned, "I figured you would be, but I promise I'll wear them again next time."

"Who says there's going to be a next time?" Nathan countered, crossing his arms in front of his chest, one eyebrow raised, teasing, "Maybe I've learned my lesson."

"Hmmm," Peyton hummed as she took a sip of her drink, "That's what you said the last three times."

"That was before I saw you in those clothes," Nathan said, his voice dropping a little lower, his hand on her hip, the other placing his glass on the counter, "Seriously, Sawyer, you looked hot."

"Nate," Peyton shivered under his touch, "This is probably not a good idea."

"Give me three reasons why not," Nathan said as he took a step towards her while pulling her closer.

Peyton put her hands on his chest as to stop him and looked up at him, "We're friends living together,"

"Hmhm," Nathan nodded slowly, his other hand tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. What she said was true. After graduating college they somehow both ended up in Raleigh and after a night of catching up over a couple of drinks they decided to rent a house together so they could split the costs and hang around more. For the past five years they had lived together in a little bungalow on the edge of town, both of them feeling more at home here than they ever did in Tree Hill.

"We already tried this in high school, Nate," Peyton tried again, but her voice was soft, almost apologetic, "We're not good at this whole relationship thing."

Nathan brushed his lips against hers and felt the last of her resistance starting to crumble, "Who said anything about a relationship? Can't we just be friends with benefits?"

"Nate," Peyton moaned, pulling him closer. She kissed him, softly first, but harder then, her tongue darting across his lips.

He pressed her against the counter as his mouth took over hers, her taste so familiar even after all those years. His hands cupped her ass and he lifted her up on the counter, deepening the kiss even more.

"Nate," she breathed after she pulled away just a little.

"Just say it, Sawyer," he pressed his forehead against hers, creating some space between him, "If you want me to stop, just say it, babe."

It was then that she pulled him close again and crashed her lips into him, smiling against them, mumbling a soft, "Never."


End file.
